


When Troy Met Frankie

by itsactuallycorrine



Series: Community Appreciation Week 2017 [2]
Category: Community (TV)
Genre: Future Fic, Gen, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-25
Updated: 2017-04-25
Packaged: 2018-10-22 00:20:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,221
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10685901
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/itsactuallycorrine/pseuds/itsactuallycorrine
Summary: Exactly what it says on the tin





	When Troy Met Frankie

**Author's Note:**

> Day 2 of Community Appreciation Week 2017! Today's fic prompt is gen fic, so I decided to explore a dynamic I really wish we'd been able to see. (And if we get a movie, I sincerely hope both of these characters are in it.)
> 
> Also, this exists in the same universe as both my Day 1 entry for CAW17 and my J/A fic [Playing House](http://archiveofourown.org/works/10551462). I don't really feel it's necessary to read either to understand this, unless you are so inclined. The only important thing to know is that Troy is back, is moving to LA to start a production company with Abed, and they're in Greendale to tie up some loose ends with Pierce's estate/party with their friends.

“I wish I’d brought my camera,” Abed says as they walk into Greendale. “I guess I can make do with my phone, because if I used the camera, then I’d have to find a crew, without any time to break them in, and who knows if you can trust them when it matters.” He stops short in the hallway. “I’m rambling. Am I rambling? I am. I didn’t think I’d be nervous.”

Troy sighs. “I don’t know what the big deal is. Isn’t she like a more grown up version of Annie? I already know an Annie; I don’t need to meet another one.”

“No,” Abed says, pointing at Troy, his eyes slit in intensity. “No, that’s the thing. Frankie’s entirely her own character who’s somehow also an amalgam of all our characters. She’s driven like Annie, a little cynical like Jeff, kind of a buzzkill like Britta, but she knows how to talk to me, like you did. And she’s sort of maternal, like Shirley.” He nods. “I’ve been waiting a long time to see you two interact.”

Telling himself that jealousy is stupid and he can’t be mad at how much Abed admires her, Troy shrugs and waves down the hallway. “Well, let’s get on with it then, buddy,” he says with as much enthusiasm as he can force.

He lets Abed cross the threshold to the office first, clenching his jaw when he hears a woman cry out, “Abed!” and a rustling that might be a hug. Abed says something low enough that Troy can’t hear it from where he’s standing, but suddenly Abed is there, pulling him into the room.

“Frankie, this is Troy. Troy, Frankie.” Then he steps back and points his phone at them, clearly shooting a video.

The woman facing him—your basic white lady with brown hair—gives him a considering look before she reaches forward with a smile. “Well, Troy, it’s nice to finally meet you. I’ve heard so much about your time here at Greendale, thanks to your friends.”

Troy shakes her offered hand. “Abed has also told me a lot about you and hasn’t speculated at all about what sexual preference you may or may not have.”

Frankie stares at Abed for a long beat and then brushes it off, turning back to say, “I guess this means I don't have to play the steel drums anymore now that you're back.”

“Yeah,” Troy says with a laugh, then stops. “Wait, what?” He turns to Abed. “Is this some new racist thing I don't know about? Is she the new Pierce?”

“Jeff lied to Frankie—sorry, Frankie—about why we missed you so much and said you played the steel drums. Frankie learned to play to help solve our problem.” Abed smiles. “In a way, she's like the anti-Pierce.”

Frankie clears her throat. “Pierce—he was the one who…” She starts to make a hand gesture, seems to think better of it, and settles on, “... The elderly gentleman who was in your study group? He was racist?”

“He always called me Ay-bed and thought I might be a terrorist.”

“I’m pretty sure he thought Shirley was my mom for the first two entire years we knew him, even though we told him she wasn’t. But he was way worse to the women...”

“Racist and sexist. And he was your friend?” Frankie asks, shaking her head.

Troy feels a surge of protectiveness. “Well, he did leave me millions of dollars.”

“In shares of his family’s company,” Abed tacks on. “We really need to figure out how to change that into actual money.”

“This I can help with,” Frankie says, waving them further into her office and sitting behind her desk. “You need to sell the shares, possibly to another shareholder if the stock isn’t public. It means giving up some of your interest in the company, but if you’d rather have the liquid cash—”

“Paper money is fine,” Troy says as they sit and Abed nods, stopping the recording and resting his phone on his lap. “I didn’t even know money could be in a liquid state. Does that mean it can be a gas, too?”

She stares at him in silence. “Oh, boy. Troy, what was it you studied during your time at Greendale?”

“I was undeclared most of the time, until I traded away my freedom to the Air Conditioning Repair School to help us escape captivity when Chang took over the school.”

Frankie blinks. “Wow, there is just… a lot to parse in that sent—Wait, Greendale has a trade program?”

“Troy was their messiah,” Abed adds, making Troy swell with pride. “He’s the Truest Repairman and he revamped the entire thing so they weren’t so cult-like.” He tilts his head. “I wonder what happened to them after you left. We never heard about them again.”

Frankie writes something in her binder. “I’ll look into it. Anyway, Troy, if you have questions about how to handle your shares, you might want to consider taking some economic courses. I have a Greendale catalogue just—”

“I’m not dumb!” Troy says and even Abed looks taken aback.

“Oh, no. Of course not.” Frankie gets up and walks around her desk, sitting on the edge and facing Troy. “I’m not saying you are. But you’ve never been a position to manage this amount of wealth. Obviously you’ll want a financial advisor, but it’s helpful to educate yourself so you don’t get taken advantage of.”

“Frankie wants to help, Troy. If she had a gimmick, that’s what it would be. It’s her superpower.”

She smiles. “Thank you, Abed. And much like a, uh, superhero, I have a supervillain enemy guy, and that guy’s name is Being Unprepared… Man.” With a sigh, she deflates. “Sorry.”

But Troy laughs anyway. “Whenever you can’t come up with something on the fly, you should just end it by saying ‘And that’s my Britta impersonation’. It’d be way cooler.”

“I’m going to remember that,” she says, pointing at him. “That’s good. And look, now you’ve helped me, too.”

“I guess I did. Tell me more about these classes. Can I take them online?”

Frankie pulls out the course catalog and helps Troy figure out what ones he can take remotely from LA and also gives him a few names of reputable financial advisors to call.

As they’re walking out, Abed smiles as he looks between the two of them. “I was right. This was a fun dynamic.”

Troy grins and agrees, but when he tries to follow Abed out, Frankie stops him.

“Troy,” she says with a serious expression, “I just want to tell you… When I first came to Greendale and met everyone, and all they could talk about was you, I was overwhelmed and, frankly, a little envious. You left a big legacy to live up to. But now I’m glad that I get to see that you really are as nice and fun and interesting as they made you seem.”

“You are, too, Frankie,” he says. “And thank you. For, you know, being there when I wasn’t. I’m glad they were in good hands. And maybe someday, you can show me how to play steel drums. That sounds so cool. Drums made out of steel.”

She beams and gives him a brief hug. “I’d love that.”


End file.
